2.3 Adaptation Strategies Recommended by Others

techniques that are not commonly used elsewhere in the United States that will be particularly impacted by warming temperatures. The northern latitudes con front unique issues related to the thawing of permafrost foundations under infrastructure, shorter seasons for ice roads, and significant ecological changes.

A large portion of the region’s transportation infrastructure is built on perma frost foundations, which are thawing as winters become shorter and tempera tures rise. This already is causing major damage to the regions roads, airports, railways, and other infrastructure. In addition, the region is unique for the net work of ice roads that are used every winter (and are the basis for Ice Road Truckers, a popular Discovery Channel reality television show). In Alaska, many of these roads are “built” each winter and are the only way to move heavy goods into many rural communities. Shorter winters are cutting into the construction season and greatly reducing the ice road trucking season. On the other hand, longer ice-free seasons on the regions waterways will increase their use for shipping.

The literature indicated that the reduction of waterway ice cover and the even tual opening of an Arctic Northwest Passage may have by far the largest eco nomic consequences of all the impacts, changing sea shipping routes throughout the globe while dramatically altering the region’s ecology.15 The passage could provide an alternative to the Panama Canal and stimulate economic development in the Arctic region. It could also result in a host of new environmental impacts on the region from the influx of shipping, including air and water qual ity impacts. An additional complication introduced by the opening up of Arctic sea routes is balancing the fragile relationship among countries with competing claims to Arctic territory.16 Sovereignty issues will need to be resolved to clarify whether the passage will be considered to be international or Canadian waters.17

“Construction and maintenance also

will be affected. ”

2.3 Adaptation Strategies Recommended by Others

Adaptation (as defined by McKeown and Gardner) includes changes in policies and practices designed to deal with climate threats and risks. Adaptation can refer to changes that protect livelihoods, prevent loss of lives, or protect economic assets and the environment.18 In the context of transportation, adaptation can be thought of as the transportation sector’s response to the climate impacts discussed above: what can or should be done to help the transportation system respond to the changing climate?

A range of adaptation and resiliency strategies are necessary to address the various climate change impacts to the transportation system discussed in the preceding section. These include both nearterm and longer-range actions, including:

Operational. In the short term, changes in operations and maintenance practices due to changes in the climate and climate extremes are necessary and already are happening in some areas. These responses include incorpo rating extreme weather events into routine operations, improving collabora tion with weather and emergency management as part of agency

15 TRB, 2008: Potential Impacts of Climate Change on U.S. Transportation. Transportation Research Board (TRB) Special Report 290, Committee on Climate Change and U.S. Transportation, Transportation Research Board, Division on Earth and Life Sciences, National Research Council. Washington, D.C., USA, 280 pp. 16 http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/ EU_ICELAND_NATO?SITE=FLPET& SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAU LT&CTIME=2009-01-29-16-58-04. 17 CCSP, 2008: Impacts of Climate Change and Variability on Transportation Systems and Infrastructure: Gulf Coast Study, Phase I. A Report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and Subcommittee on Global Change Research [Savonis, M.J., V.R. Burkett, and J.R. Potter (eds.)]. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C., USA, 445 pp. 18 State of the World 2009: Climate Change Reference Guide and Glossary. Alice McKeown and Gary Gardner.

operations, and sharing best practices. Maintenance and asset management practices may need to be updated to accommodate changes in environmental factors (changes to freeze/thaw cycles, for instance).

Design. Design changes to new infrastructure to address future climate condi tions will mitigate some expected impacts. In the medium term, changes in design and materials (revision of design standards to address climate change impacts, or rehabilitation to meet revised standards) can pro tect infrastructure from climate changes. In addition, monitoring and use of sensor technology can provide advance warning of potential infrastructure failures due to the effects of weather and climate extremes on transportation systems.

Land Use. Long-term adaptation strategies might include changes in land use management policies in order to reduce risks to people and transportation infrastructure by avoiding areas vulnerable to climate change. Changing conditions may necessitate the relocation of existing infrastructure. Land use also may be utilized to realize the potential of natural systems (such as wetland buffers) to reduce risk to both infrastructure and communities.

Planning and Institutional Changes. Institutional changes to integrate consideration of climate impacts into the transportation planning and investment decision-making process, along with more comprehensively incorporating other planning processes (e.g., economic development and ecological systems), will result in more resilient and cost-effective transportation systems. Possible changes that could be made include: lengthening the planning horizon of the transportation system past its current twenty- to thirty-year outlook, introducing risk assessment and vulnerability analyses, incorporating climate change into NEPA considerations, and forming new institutional arrangements and partnerships. In the short run, these changes may be driven by immediate local concerns about

specific climate factors. For instance, a 2005 study recommended that the Seattle Department of Transportation synchronize sea-level rise assumptions among Seattle’s various city agencies (for instance, in the assumptions made for construction of seawalls) (Soo Hoo et al., 2005). In the longer term, a systematic approach is required to incorporate a range of climate information into transportation decisions. The adaptation responses described above can be thought of as lying on a continuum of planning and investment choices. Each requires different management actions and provides different benefits and costs to the agency. The range of adaptation strategies can be divided into four categories of options:

Manage/Maintain. 1. These strategies assume that an increasing cost to repair and maintain infrastructure will be experienced due to increasing stress from severe events. A shorter service life also is possible due to increased climate stress. An incremental approach of absorbing increased damage into annual maintenance cycles may be a reasonable and cost-effective strategy for infrastructure that is at lower risk or is less significant to overall mobility goals. Protect/Harden. 2. These strategies enhance the resilience of infrastructure through techniques such as changing design standards (e.g., higher bridge heights, elevated roadways), building engineered protection (e.g., levees), developing or enhancing natural buffers (e.g., wetlands), etc. Essentially, this approach tries to ensure that existing and future infrastructure withstands projected changes in climate. It is most appropriate for critical infrastructure that is at risk and needs to stay in operation.

Develop Redundant Services. 3. These strategies prepare for intermittent loss of service by developing alternate routes or services to maintain continuity of travel when service is disrupted.

Relocate/Abandon. 4. These strategies focus on reducing the exposure of infrastructure by